Big Changes are Coming to New York High School Graduation Requirements.
The New York State Education Department announced September 14, the Board of Regents has authorized the next phase of its “NY Inspires” education overhaul, including a move to one New York State high school diploma and a major change to the role of Regents exams.
When Does the New NYS High School Diploma Begin?
New York Students graduating in 2028, will no longer need to pass a specific set of Regents exams in order to graduate.
An important distinction: The Regents exams themselves are not going away, though. They will continue to be used as statewide measures of student achievement and whether students are meeting New York’s learning standards.
I was lucky enough to attend a little private school Upstate that did not require regents exams, honestly because the coursework was likely harder than the test.
So what replaces the old system?
Schools and districts will increasingly use multiple forms of assessment, including: classroom work, performance-based projects, educator observations and state assessments, to get a broader picture of what students actually know and can do.
NYSED says the changes are part of a larger effort to give students more ways to demonstrate their skills while maintaining rigorous academic standards.
The Department plans to bring proposed regulations to the Board of Regents by February 2027, with implementation beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
The NY Inspires initiative began in 2024 and includes four major changes:
adopting a statewide “Portrait of a Graduate,”redefining credits and learning experiences,ending separate diploma assessment requirementsand moving to one New York State high school diploma.Ridiculous Laws in New York State
Believe it or not, these are some of the dumbest, stupidest, and most ridiculous rules in all of New York State.
Gallery Credit: Dan McGuire